and when time commeth, labour to be delivered hereof ; and the fruit of these shell-fishes are the Pearls, better
or worse, great or small, according to the qualitie and quantitie of
the dew which they received. For if the dew were pure and cleare which
went into them, then are the Pearles white, faire, and orient ; if
grosse and troubled, the Pearles likewise are dimme, foule and duskish
; pale (I say) they are, if the weather were close, darke, and
threatning raine in the time of their conception. Whereby, no doubt, it
is apparent and plaine that they participate more of the aire and skie,
than of the water and the sea ; for, acÂcording as the morning is
faire, so are they cleare ; otherwise, if it were mistie and cloudie,
they also will be thicke and muddie in colour. If they may have their
full time and season to feed, the Pearles also will thrive and grow
bigge ; but if in the time it chaunce to lighten, then they close their
shells togither, and for want of nourishment are kept hungrie and
fasting, and so the Pearles keepe at a stay and prosper not
accordingly. But if it thunÂder withali, then sodainly they shut hard
at once, and breed onely those excrescences which be called Pkysemata, like
unto bladders puft up and hooved with wind, ond no corporali substance
at all ; and these, are the abortive and untimely fruits of these
shellfishes. Now those that have their full
